Miss Newa
The Beauty of Ethnic Federalism
Over the past few years, ethnic-based beauty contests have proliferated in Kathmandu. From Miss Mangol to Miss Tamang, Miss Newa to Miss Sherpa, most of the major ethnic groups in Nepal host their own beauty contests, with the mission to promote the identity of their ethnicity and encourage their youth to perform service in the name of their culture.
Hema Manandhar and Tenzing Sherpa, organizers of the Miss Newa contest insist it is not simply a beauty contest, or not even a beauty contest at all. They prefer to consider Miss Newa a talent competition, providing young Newari girls an important opportunity to showcase their talent. In the weeks leading up to the Miss Newa pageant in December 2008, The Kathmandu Post featured photographs of all of the contestants, including their 'vital statistics' - their bust, waist and hip measurements.
Hema Manandhar and Tenzing Sherpa, organizers of the Miss Newa contest insist it is not simply a beauty contest, or not even a beauty contest at all. They prefer to consider Miss Newa a talent competition, providing young Newari girls an important opportunity to showcase their talent. In the weeks leading up to the Miss Newa pageant in December 2008, The Kathmandu Post featured photographs of all of the contestants, including their 'vital statistics' - their bust, waist and hip measurements.
